# 1950s/1960s: What was it about coffee? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [December 27, 2025, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088 "2025-12-27T10:24:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/121 "2025-12-31T20:08:42Z")
Yeah. The actual intent probably was just “how drugs impact the geometry of orb spider webs.” It’s the writing error sort I make before I’ve had enough coffee … to pull this back to subject! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/122 "2025-12-31T21:19:56Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Coffee is one of those things that often smells better than it actually tastes. Especially freshly ground coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/123 "2025-12-31T22:20:52Z")
As one Tropes article dealing with coffee put it (in a now-deleted comment) “You know that wonderful smell that wafts out of a bag of ground coffee? That’s the taste of your coffee escaping into the air instead of going into your cup.” The bitter flavors apparently are much less volitile. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/124 "2025-12-31T22:47:08Z")
I also hate the taste but like the smell. I wouldn’t light a scented candle with coffee smell but I find it pleasant when it’s around. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/125 "2026-01-01T02:01:43Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > “You know that wonderful smell that wafts out of a bag of ground coffee? That’s the taste of your coffee escaping into the air instead of going into your cup.” That made me chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/126 "2026-01-01T05:15:21Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I get that. I crave coffee with sweet baked goods ever since I gave up drinking milk by the glass. One of my big go-to desserts is pecan pie with black coffee. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2026, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/127 "2026-01-01T07:46:20Z")
Put me down as another that likes the smell, but not the taste, unless it’s in ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/128 "2026-01-02T10:28:37Z")
you “might” like 360 ice cream at Whole Foods, it contains frozen coffee shards in it ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/129 "2026-01-04T15:26:57Z")
There are accounts of [the importance of coffee](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marines_Serving_Coffee_on_Guadalcanal,_circa_1942.jpg) to U.S. troops fighting to hold Guadalcanal agaiinst the Japanese in WWII, including a reference in one of Ian Toll’s books to coffee “soothing their jangled nerves” - when you’d suspect the opposite effect. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/130 "2026-01-04T15:45:38Z")
Caffeine has been found to have a calming effect on some people with ADHD. If you subscribe to the notion that almost all young adults have some traits of that disorder, then those Marines were the perfect demographic. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/131 "2026-01-04T15:48:16Z")
I remember soap operas back in the 60’s and 70’s. They were sedate shows compared to what they became later, everyone was always sitting around the kitchen table gossiping over coffee. We used to laugh, there’s Pat and John having coffee again! My daughter drinks coffee, she has ADHD and it actually makes her sleepy. ??? Wired, but yawning. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/132 "2026-01-04T16:06:05Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > I remember soap operas back in the 60’s and 70’s. They were sedate shows compared to what they became later, everyone was always sitting around the kitchen table gossiping over coffee. We used to laugh, there’s Pat and John having coffee again! In the 30s and 40s radio forerunners of those soap operas, the drink of choice was lemonade or iced tea, which was easily represented via the sound of ice clinking in a pitcher. (Fun fact: the producers used coal, because real ice would melt.) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/133 "2026-01-04T16:49:54Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > My daughter drinks coffee, she has ADHD and it actually makes her sleepy. That’s a pretty typical ADHD reaction to caffeine. Wanna wake up? Sugar. Wanna go to sleep? Caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/134 "2026-01-04T17:46:01Z")
Possibly related to the paradoxical effect of Ritalin on children with hyperactive disorder; that is, adding stimulant can induce a sort of overload that short-circuits the constant state of nervousness and agitation. Also why nicotine-laden cigarettes were said to calm one’s nerves . ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/135 "2026-01-05T05:41:35Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Do they still give endless coffee refills in American diners? That’s still standard in full service restaurants, i.e. any restaurant where they seat you and bring everything to your table as the meal progresses. In my experience the quality of coffee served by restaurants–even very expensive ones-- is unreliable, so I always ask for cream and sugar just in case. At home, though, I always drink my coffee plain. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/136 "2026-01-05T07:39:55Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MTYzgzcMb7M/maxresdefault.jpg "espresso") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTYzgzcMb7M) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/137 "2026-01-05T09:49:16Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Do they still give endless coffee refills in American diners? They do in Canadian diners. I remember one 24-hour joint where the waitress would circle every fifteen minutes or so with a full pot. “Anybody like more coffee?” You may have had one coffee on your bill, but really, you could have as much as you liked for the price of one. For that matter, I recall a sign I once saw at the local horse racing book (an OTB). Understand that the book also has a few dozen slot machines, for those who want to gamble, but don’t understand horse racing. Anyway, the sign said: Coffee: $2.50 For slot players: $1.00 For horse players: Free As a horse player, I always appreciated that. Somebody upthread mentioned that coffee was supposed to sober one up, and that may help to explain why Rob and Laura Petrie would return from a party at 11 pm and put on the coffee. As I recall, there was a “Happy Days” episode, early in the series, where Richie and Potsie go to a bachelor party, and Richie returns home as drunk as it’s possible to be and still stagger on two feet. Howard instructs Marion to put on the coffee, and basically forces Richie to drink as much coffee as possible, in an attempt to sober him up. Maybe that’s part of the answer anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/138 "2026-01-05T10:01:05Z")
I never saw that in Europe, neither for coffee nor for anything else, except tap water in Spain, where it was customary by tradition and now, since 8th april 2022, it is mandatory by law for all bars and restaurants, no matter the category. They may still offer expensive bottled water, but they must also offer tap water for free. **[Link](https://www.moncloa.com/2025/07/19/restaurante-agua-grifo-ley-3249172/)** in Spanish. The law is called _Law on Residues and Contaminated Soil for a Circular Economy_ 7/2022 and aims at reducing waste, in this case bottles and cans. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/139 "2026-01-05T10:17:12Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I never saw that in Europe, neither for coffee nor for anything else, except tap water in Spain, where it was customary by tradition and now, since 8th april 2022, it is mandatory by law for all bars and restaurants, no matter the category. I remember free refills for soft drinks in German Ikea restaurants, but it’s been a long time since I last was at Ikea and don’t know if they still offer it. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088/140 "2026-01-05T18:37:15Z")
Why would they want to sober up at 11 p.m. instead of going straight to bed to sleep it off? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1950s-1960s-what-was-it-about-coffee/1026088.md?page=8)